Hold Me Down Before I Fly Away
by LuckyGreenMark
Summary: Her mother left when she was four, and her father hits her. Known as 'that one depressed girl' at school, Ally Dawson doesn't have the best life ever. But the new kid, that blonde, Austin Moon, takes an interest in her and tries to reach out for her. Will his attempt to save her succeed, or will she let go to relieve everything she ever felt? /AUSLLY\
1. Chapter 1

**Random idea. Not sure how well this could actually turn out, and I don't now why I'm actually publishing this since I haven't thought about it ****whatsoever,**** but I'mma wing it! I don't own anything you recognize, blah, blah, blah.**

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"_Lester..."_

_Lester Dawson heaved a great sigh, dropping his briefcase on the ground after a long day of 'work.' His wife, Penny Dawson, crossed her arms and stared at him, waiting for an explanation on why he's only returning finally at eleven o'clock at night and not his usual __**four o'clock**__._

_"Yes, Penny?" Lester's voice was tough. Lately his relationship with his wife has not been as smooth as it used to be when they were first married. Even then though, they constantly argued and fought a lot. Why they still kept the marriage going, nobody knew._

_"Lester, it's eleven at night! Where have you been? Don't you think you should have told me that work was running late or something?" Her voice lowered drastically at the next sentence. "Ally, who may I remind you is our daughter, has been wondering where you've been all these hours! Doesn't that make you feel ashamed?"_

_"Penny, I'm not in the mood..."_

_"Lester, explain everything to me right now! What is keeping you from returning home to your family everyday it seems now?" Penny demanded. She raised her chin up to meet his eyes, and Lester growled from deep in his throat._

_"Penny, I told you over the phone call earlier. The office had a malfunction and the papers needed to be done __**today**__, and I was the only one-"_

_"Bullshit!" Penny hissed, trying to keep her voice low so they wouldn't wake their daughter, who was sleeping soundly upstairs. Well, hopefully soundly. "Don't lie to me, Lester! That's just a bunch of fake lies!"_

_"What, you don't believe me?" Lester said, but his tone told the truth. Penny shook her head, squeezing her hands into fists and groaning._

_"Aaarrggh! Lester, I don't even know why you and I are married still!" Penny almost yelled in frustration._

_Lester laughed without humor. "Don't act like such a genius for finally realizing that, Penny. I've been thinking that for years!"_

_"Listen, Lester. I won't lie. I wish you and I weren't married. But for Ally's sake! Think of her! Tell me where you've been going! What you've been doing!"_

_"You don't give a damn about Ally!" Lester roared, and they both knew at the moment Ally would wake up, hearing her father scream her name with such anger. But neither of them cared._

_Penny gasped, horrified that Lester would accuse her of such. "That's not true! You don't! You're the one who disappears all the time, not coming back until hours later, not doing a single thing for this family!"_

_"Not doing a single thing?" Lester screamed. "I do everything for this family! This couch, this table, the food we stock in the pantry- all because of ME. What do you do? Sit around and fucking try to learn stupid, worthless things!"_

_"I do things, Lester! I help make dinners, clean the house, take care of Ally!" Penny yelled._

_"I'm the only reason you're doing ANY of those things, Penny! Any of those! I go to the office everyday to work, make money for us, to support is! Is that not good enough for you?" Lester screamed._

_"Quiet down!" Penny gasped. "You'll wake Ally!"_

_Lester was so enraged he lifted his hand and struck Penny across the face. She gasped, stumbling back, holding her cheek. It wasn't the first time Lester has hit her, but the sting was always new._

_"Listen to me, bitch!" Lester roared. "I work this house! I command this place! I control this family! I am above you! You will not rule this family, because you are NOTHING! You hear me bitch? NOTHING!"_

_"Lester Parker, you are the most selfish, ungrateful man I have ever met!" Penny screamed. "You don't deserve to be here! To be with me, to be with Ally!" Neither of them noticed little Ally quietly waling down the stairs, terrified of what she was hearing._

_"If you don't like this, Penny, you can go fin another fucking family!" Lester yelled. "Apparently I'm not GOOD ENOUGH for you!" This wasn't their first fight of screaming, but it sure was their worst. Penny let out a scream, closing her eyes as Lester hit her again and again._

_Ally had to speak up. She couldn't bear watching her mother get abused. "Daddy! Stop it! Stop hitting Mommy!"_

_They both whirled around to face her, and for a second, Ally was scared out of her skin. The look of pure rage burning in their eyes was deeper than anything Ally has ever seen in her four-year-old mind. _

_Then Penny let out an anguished scream that seemed to ring through the whole neighborhood. She stood up, storming into the bedroom she and Lester shared. Lester followed, muttering under his breath. In a few minutes, Penny walked out, a suitcase behind her._

_"Mommy, where are you going?" Ally asked. "It's late to go on vacation!"_

_Penny stopped, taking a deep breath. Lester stayed behind in the shadows, glaring at them both. Ally sat on the staircase, gripping the tiny baby blanket her aunt had knitted for her when she was two. It was old and raggedy, holes forming and the yarn unwinding, but she loved and tried her best to keep it together._

_Penny leaned down and kissed Ally on the forehead. "I know it's very late to go on vacation, but Mommy needs this one. I won't see you in a long time, baby."_

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Away." Penny cleared her throat, and back then, Ally didn't realize she was holding back tears. She was too busy focusing on the red marks on her mother's face, from her father's hand._

_"Say goodbye to your mom, Ally," Lester called in a gruff voice, tough and commanding._

_Obediently, Ally said, "goodbye, Mommy."_

_Penny let a single tear fall down her face. "Goodbye, sweetie." She kissed Ally on the forehead one last time, before leaving out the front door. Ally ran to the window, looking over the couch and watched as her mother waited a few moments for a taxi to arrive, and climbed in. The cab disappeared, and that was the last time Ally saw her mother._

_Ally slowly sunk down on the couch, trying to comprehend what happened. But as soon as she turned back around, she felt something harsh and hard smack her across the face._

_"Ouch!" Ally wailed, jumping back in surprise. "Daddy!"_

_"That's what you get for sneaking down here past your bedtime, little punk!" Lester roared. He grabbed Ally by the hair and threw her off the couch and shoved her in the direction of the stairs. "Go back to your room! And stay there!"_

_Shaking, Ally ran upstairs, clinging to her blanket. She could hear her father muttering curses under his breath behind her, and that spurred her to go faster. She didn't want to get hit again. It hurt. Is that what her mother always felt every-time they fought? How did she survive it all?_

_Tears dampened the front of her pillow, and she buried her face into her blanket. Her scalp ached from where her father grabbed her hair. Her cheek burned. Her hands were trembling. Is this what Mommy always felt like after their fights?_

_The next morning, when Ally cautiously walked downstairs and Lester stood up and stormed over to her, she knew that instead of stopping this mad parade, her father would only take his anger out on his daughter instead._

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And that was when I was four. Now, I'm seventeen. I'm in high school. My dad still hits me, but only if I do something remotely out of line. And in thirteen years, I haven't heard anything from my mom. No letter, no call, nothing.

But the day she left is as clear as glass in my mind, sharp enough to make me wish my dad would hit me again, just for the sake to feel something.

That's what I thought as I dragged the razor blade across my wrist and let out a cry of emotion. Sweet, sweet, emotion.

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**There's chapter one. Review on what you think.**

**~Cynthia**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! Okay, so I was just winging it with the first chapter, wasn't sure if I wanted to actually do this, but a lot of you guys loved it instantly! My email blew up like hell! Except someone told me to update soon, and it's ****_just_**** a day since I first uploaded it... -_- Okay then, I guess that means you like it. (But please, have some patience.)**

**I have a somewhat clear idea of what I'm gong to do with this story, but haven't thought much detail about it. I appreciate how some of you gave me ideas, but until I say so, hold back on your own ideas. Thanks for the support, though!**

**I don't own Austin and Ally and its characters.**

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High school stinks.

I figured I might as well say that since I have the chance. I know _everybody_ thinks high school stinks, but I'm just going to say, for the record, my high school sucks more than any other in the country.

We're that typical school with the popular clique, the geeks, the nobodies, and the bullies. Although we have more bullies than we do geeks, and it's practically dangerous to walk into the hallways alone. If you ever wonder why girls always go to the restroom in pairs, then I can say that's because Marino High in Miami city started the trend of people bullying girls on the way to the bathroom and making them piss their jeans.

Wonderful, right?

The principal tries to keep things in order, but he doesn't do a very good job. Mostly, he figured _fuck it, this is pointless_ and whenever a teacher sends a kid to the office, he just rips up their note and tells them to go back to class. People might think it's cool that the principal does that, so they can just get away with more crap, but to me, it's not. Bad education.

I'm not a geek, but I care for school. I don't do above and beyond, like if there's extra credit, I won't do it unless I need it. I get fairly good grades, mostly B's, the occasional A. Things are bad enough at home I don't want to add more problems with school to it.

Home.

Home is where the heart is, huh? Fuck that. I'll explain my own demented home later. It's a bad enough story that I could fill out a whole book with all the details on what happened, when my mom left, how my dad 'copes' with that.

I hate my home, to simply put it.

Although my school isn't a much better alternative. The kids there are lanky and quiet. The popular kids stuff up the air with their fancy perfume and the geeks run around doing their bidding. The bullies pick on the geeks, or the nobodies. We got a whole stock of nobodies.

I guess you could say I'm a nobody. I'm not really a target for bullies. They usually aim for this girl, Trish De la Rose. She has a big family, with lots of younger siblings. She's also poor too, and chubby, and that's what they tease her for. She has the free-lunch option set up for her too, and everybody knows that because those cards are orange instead of blue. Everybody sees it, and she always is bullied between classes and before and after school.

Maybe I should help her. But the last thing I needed was bullies to deal with too. I didn't really know Trish, anyway. Maybe I will in the future, but for now, I'm just going to try and blend in.

I was doing a pretty good job, if I do say so myself.

"Ally, sweetheart. Here are your sleeping pills," a faux caring voice said to me. I looked up and saw Barney looking down at me, his black hair hanging in his face, his navy blue eyes cold, but I smiled. He tossed the paper bag to me, and I caught t.

Like I said, it was dangerous to walk out alone in these school hallways. Barney is a senior, a year ahead of me, but we're friends. He has naturally black hair and comes from a rough past like me. We've only got each other. We became friends ever since the first day of my freshman year, when I realized just how mean kids could be. Barney caught me crying in the hallways, way after the bell for second class had rung, and comforted me somewhat.

"_Darling, here's the deal. I've got rough crap in my past too. Clearly you have the same thing. How about we team up so we both aren't lonely in this shit school?"_

It was good enough for me. Ever since then, Barney and I were always together. I don't have any feelings for him, and he doesn't like me that way, but he's my only and best friend, vice versa. We need each other.

Barney isn't exactly an angel kid, though. His grades range from C's to D's, and his family is whacked up. His dad drinks all the time and his mom spends all the money on drugs and whiskey. Naturally it had the same effect on Barney. He got into drugs, cutting, and smoking. A few drinks every week or so. Sometimes, when I need new ones, I would ask him for some razor blades, or maybe if I need more sleeping pills I just go to him. He always has a supply somewhere.

Barney sat down next to me, leaning against the back of the locker like I was his. His black hair was long enough to cast across his forehead and let a few strands hang in his dark eyes. He let out a long, heavy sigh and I knew he was trying to catch his breath from the chaos.

"How's the family?" I asked him. Barney shrugged, his black sweatshirt rubbing against my shoulder.

"Same as always. Mom getting high, Dad getting drunk and playing poker in the living room with his other drunk friends. I'm hungry though. I couldn't find anything in the pantry for breakfast. Do you have something?" At his last words, his voice went desperate. As cold and quiet as he was on the outside, I knew deep down Barney was just a sensitive person.

"Yeah. Yeah. Here." I opened my worn black backpack and pulled out my lunch. I usually prepared something extra for Barney because it seemed like he always was empty of food. I tore my sandwich in half and gave him my apple, and he gave me a grateful smile.

"Thanks." He took a bite of the apple, and shoved the sandwich half in his own backpack for later. We arrived to school early that day. I always did to avoid being hit more by my father. Barney did because he hates the sight of his parents sinking deeper in their sluggish state of drugs and liquor. We usually just sit on the ground next to my locker, talking.

"How's the cuts?" he asked me. "You do know how to clean them properly, right?"

"Yes, Barney. You showed me. They're fine." I shoved my sleeves of my blue sweatshirt up and also my bracelets, showing him the scratches. He nodded, before looking at me. I tugged my sleeves back down.

"Any hits today?" he asked me cautiously. Even though he asked me everyday, and I told him everything about my father and my family, he was still careful about the topic. Sweet of him, I guess, but he didn't need to act like I'm made of glass.

"One of the arm."

"What for?"

"I didn't use the right creamer in his coffee this morning."

Barney sat back, facing forward and sighing in frustration. "Hey, that's ridiculous. The wrong _creamer in his coffee?_ Why can't he move his lazy ass on his own and make it himself if he doesn't like it?"

We've had this talk many times before. We've both agreed that yes, our lives suck, but there's no point in changing them. Right now, we'll just try our best to make the most of it and try to cause as little damage as possible. It will do us no good if we just pace around saying how unfair it is, even if it's true. I can't change my father from hitting, but I'll try my best to make sure he hits me as little as possible.

But there are moments when we get worked up and have to complain sometimes. Barney thinks the reasons that my dad hit me are absolutely absurd, and even though they are, it's no use to just waste your breath saying that. And I get pissed that Barney's mom always forgets to go grocery shopping for the food they need, and wastes the money on drugs, but what can we do? Nothing.

As if reading my mind, Barney sighed and stopped. "Sorry. I know it's pointless to just say he's a crappy parent and that all we're trying to do is make it happen as little as possible, but... it annoys me. You don't deserve that."

"You don't deserve _that_ either." I touched the bruise on his forearm, where the sleeve was rolled up to reveal it. Sometimes Barney's dad hits him too, just not as hard as mine, or as much.

Barney shrugged. "Didn't hurt."

"What did you do?"

"Overslept. He found out I was sneaking out last night."

"Where to now?" It wasn't the first time Barney sneaked out somewhere.

"Skylar's." Barney has an off and on relationship with this girl named Skylar who also attends Marino. She's a nobody. Not a geek, not a popular, not a bully. Just in the middle. Not even that pretty. She blends in. I don't think she particularly likes Barney, though. She's a lot more optimistic and not very deep. She doesn't understand Barney's story like I do. Barney knows that too, but only likes her to fool around with. Which, in my opinion, is even worse.

"How long?" I asked him. "And how did he know?"

"A few hours at her place," Barney said. "I made a lot of noise when I came back in, plus I overslept. My window was open and my shoes were wet, so he put two and two together."

"Why do you even hang out with Skylar?" I asked. "Clearly she's not your type."

"Somebody jealous, sweetheart?" Barney teased, even though we both knew we didn't like each other. And he just likes calling me sweetheart because one time I asked what he thought of me from just the outside, and he said "_Well, if I didn't know that there were cuts under those bracelets, you'd be a total sweetheart."_

I laughed, and he chuckled. Then I shook my head. "No. I just think you deserve more than her. She's shallow. Not vain, but not very deep."

"Everybody has a story," Barney argued. "And I'm not defending Skylar or anything. But when people say someone's fake through and through, I don't believe that. They have their own thoughts and feelings, their own stories, and other people just keep seeing the wrong side of them, and it goes on and on like a pattern. That's the problem."

I paused. I never thought of it like that. Sometimes Barney surprises me.

He took my silence as a win, and he smirked. "I'm right."

"Whatever, Barney."

"Okay, Ally," he said, chuckling. "By the way, here's your spiral back. Thanks for letting me copy your notes." He handed me my spiral, and I took it and placed it in my backpack.

The bell rung, and people started to merge into the halls. Only a few students glanced at us. It's January, and by that time, people understood that we're 'those depressed kids,' and they probably think we hook up all the time or something. But even so, they're already used to the sight of me and Barney sitting at the lockers and talking and usually pay us no attention.

Barney sighed, heaving up his gray backpack onto his wide shoulder. "I guess I better go. I have Mrs. Mathers for homeroom though. I swear, she hates me or something."

I laughed. "I think everybody in the school hates you, Barney. Even me."

"Aww, love you too, sweetheart." He chuckled, shaking his head. I waved him bye, and he walked away, going to his locker which was in the other hall. I turned around and opened mine, looking for my own books and supplies.

In a few minutes I was sitting in Mr. Daner's classroom, drawing in my notebook. My whole spiral was filled with random drawings of flames, sparkles, stick figures, and other abstract works in the margins, colored with highlighters and red pen. I hardly ever paid attention to Mr. Daner in this class. As the last bell rang, the last student ran in and took their seat.

"Well class," Mr. Daner said in his monotonous tone. He was an eighty-something year old guy with a grudge that seemed to be against all of us. The class was talking over him, and he rang the little bell a few times at the front of his desk to get our attention. It took him a few minutes to get us to settle down and and be quiet.

Mr. Daner sighed. standing up in front of the classroom and pacing in front of the electronic active board on the wall. "Today, I don't really heave anything for you guys to do. Although, I would like to inform you we have a new student arriving in this class. Although, he hasn't shown up yet... must be late." Some kids perked up at the sound of a new student.

_A he_, I thought. _Who is he?_

"Furthermore, I would like to warn you all to be nice to him. This school is not the best of schools"- at this he rolled his eyes- "but I expect you to treat him with respect, kindness, and courtesy like you would with any other stranger-"

Suddenly, the wooden door banged open, and the supposedly new student ran in.

Everybody sat up and craned their necks to take a look at him. I was in the first row, and I had a clear view of him.

The first thing I noticed was his eyes. Wide and almond-shaped, they were a dark, rich chocolate. His hair was blonde, with some brown at the roots, and it flopped casually across his tan forehead. His eyebrows were raised as he took a scan around the room, in the same way we were scanning him.

"Ah," Mr. Daner said, the threatening tone he had a few seconds ago suddenly gone. "You must be Austin Moon. I'm Mr. Darner."

"Sorry I'm late," he said. His voice contained no embarrassment, but it was hard to judge since he only said three words.

He looked normal. I couldn't place him in any category. His clothes were somewhat preppy. Blue jeans, a gray T-shirt, black Converse, and a blue and white plaid over-shirt. I suppose it looks like something a popular could _possibly_ wear, but the way he held his posture didn't make him look like he belonged in the clique. The only thing that could make him a popular was the metal chains he wore around his neck. Plus, his natural looks. He was kind of cute.

"Well, Austin. I won't mark you as late, since it's your first day here. You can take a seat in the fourth row from the front, next to Bethany. She's the girl in the green jacket." Bethany waved to Austin and he looked at her, making his way over to her, his feet on the carpet floor the only noise in the room.

We were all watching him, trying to see his first impression and decide who he is. What category he belongs in. Especially the bullies. Trying to see if he was material to pick on. But his walk was normal, hefty since he was so tall and muscular, but didn't say he was a geek that walked weirdly like them. Maybe he could be a nobody, but his good looks would outweigh that option.

Silence. We were all waiting for Austin to do something so we could decide where to put him.

He flashed a smile, which revealed his perfectly straight, white teeth. "Are you all stunned by my swagger?" he asked, before laughing easily. A few girls chuckled. A few _popular_ girls.

His smart comment could've been marked as a popular, but his laugh was too easy and child-like somewhat. Man, this kid was hard to judge.

Mr. Daner finally cleared his throat. Apparently _he_ was also watching Austin's moves too. "Well, let the class begin..."

I sunk back into my seat, my pencil moving again on my paper. Austin didn't seem like a very interesting person. He most likely will be either a nobody or a popular, both which I don't really like. In the corner of my notebook, there was a note from Barney. He must've got a hold of my notebook when I let him borrow my spiral for last night's notes.

_Listen to Space-bound by Eminem. Amazing song. -B_

Barney was obsessed with Eminem, some rapper. I suppose he isn't that bad, but Barney was way more into it than I was. I preferred bands like All Time Low, or maybe Pierce the Veil. Our music tastes varied.

The next few hours flew by like a blur. My body turned went into auto-pilot mode. Do this. Write that. Walk there. Sit here. Get that. Finish that. I was looking forward to lunch because Barney had that with me, and I would love to tell him about the new kid, and ask him to help me decide which category Austin probably would fit into.

Finally, it turned into 11:50 and I walked into the cafeteria with my lunch. Usually Barney and I would eat outside, but it was raining, so we had decided to eat at our table in the back and watch everybody else in the cafeteria. I saw Barney at our usual table, unwrapping the sandwich I had given him earlier. He saw me and waved to me, and I started rushing my way over to him-

Suddenly, I collided with another figure coming from my left and their tray hit my sweatshirt. Something warm and sticky splattered against my chest, stomach, arms and neck. I gasped and lurched back, and several spaghetti noodles fell from my _blue _sweatshirt. I let out a cry, and looked up to see the new kid's, Austin's, face.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed suddenly, his voice high. He placed his tray on a random table and tried helping me wipe the food off my shirt, reaching out. Barney stood up and started approaching us. Austin started blubbering. "I'm so sorry-!"

"You!" I exclaimed, cutting him off. "The new kid! Already heard about me and decided to embarrass me, huh?"

"What?" Austin asked me, fake-confusion pouring on his face. "All I know is you're Ally Dawson-"

"And you just had to buy spaghetti for lunch, right?" I snapped. I blinked, wiping the sauce on my jeans, and realized that was a bad idea. Too late. I picked a noodle off my sweatshirt and dropped it on the floor. A _huge_ dark stain was on my entire torso. I'd need a new coat. The whole student body as staring at us. Great. I felt my face heat up and I gripped the end of my sweatshirt sleeves.

"I'm sorry," Austin said. "It was a total accident. You think I did that on purpose?"

"Of course you did. Already decided to hate me like everybody else?"

"What? No-!"

"Hey, uh, Ally Depression." Jessica's voice. The Popular Clique Queen. She seemed to hate me especially, saying my last name is Depression instead of Dawson. "Stop complaining. Really, that spaghetti sauce stain isn't that much different from the bleeds you get from cutting. Now come on, Austin. Sit with us." Oh, so he _was_ a popular.

The whole school laughed, and I could see Austin chuckle a little, before realizing I was looking at him. Barney came up to me and wrapped his strong hand around my arm and tried to drag me away, but I yanked my arm out of his grip and ran on my own. Embarrassment cracked open into my chest, and I ran into the girls' bathroom, still hearing everybody laugh behind me.

Austin, the new kid, already decided to embarrass me. Already decided to go with what the popular kids say and laugh at me.

Just another person to go up against along with the whole school. Isn't that swell?

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**Here's chapter two! I'm not sure how well that was, the end. But I hope you like it! A lot of you really did enjoy the first chapter. Let's see how this turns out!**

**Also, have you guys heard R5's new song Heart Made Up On You? They have a new EP coming out too! Wow! AMAZING! I lose track of R5 for a few weeks and everything EXPLODES when I finally check back! Can't wait for their music though! :D**

**Please review on what you think!**

**~Cynthia**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's chapter three of Hold Me Down Before I Fly Away! I hope you guys are liking this, and PLEASE leave a review on what you think! Criticism is appreciated also, but not flames. Thanks to all those who seem to like this story. :)**

**Wow, I'm probably being lazy uploading all these chapters and not my other stories. But this is so fun to write! I am still struggling to write my other stories. Writer's block. Not fun. But anyway, please check out my other stories, and I'll try to get those written ASAP. Thank you, my lovelies! **

**I don't own Austin and Ally.**

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"You know, you're risking detention by being in the girls' bathroom," I warned Barney. We were standing in front of the sink in the girls' bathroom, trying to rub the spaghetti sauce stain out of my sweatshirt, but it was still majorly obvious. Barney had followed me after I ran out of the cafeteria, and thankfully there weren't any other girls in here to scream and run out of the bathroom. I sighed, looking down at my sweatshirt.

"Doesn't matter," Barney said. "I'm helping a friend."

"Thanks," I said, smiling slightly.

Barney stepped back, taking an overall look of my sweatshirt before shaking his head. "That's the best we can do with school bathroom water and dry paper towels, sweetheart. Still not looking that great though." He sighed with me again. "You don't want to walk around all day wearing that, right? Maybe just wear your shirt, not your coat."

I slipped off my blue sweatshirt, only to realize underneath the stain had reached my white T-shirt too. Barney made a face. "Well, that's just fantastic."

I groaned. "I guess I'll have to walk around, flaunting my spaghetti shit." I laughed bitterly, remembering Austin's fake look of surprise in the lunch room. What a jerk.

Barney shrugged. "I mean... I could _loan_ you my sweatshirt. I'm just not sure if you want to wear it."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Anything to hide this." I pointed at my shirt. "Besides, it's just a sweatshirt. We're friends. No big deal."

"Yeah, but..." Barney trailed off, before shrugging again. He pulled the black sweatshirt over his head and handed it to me, and I slipped it on. Then, as I looked in the mirror, I realized it had his last name printed on the back. _Lane,_ in big white bold text.

"Oh."

"Yeah. Not sure if you want to wear my sweatshirt. And also, since we're both in the girls' bathroom alone and you walked out wearing that..." He gave me a dirty smirk.

"Barney." My face heated up. "Shut up."

Barney snickered. He always liked to make me squirm.

"Whatever," I said. "People already think we're dating. I'll wash my sweatshirt tonight and return yours by tomorrow. Thanks."

"No problem, sweetheart," he said. We walked out the restroom together, and when we looked around in the empty halls, we realized we were late for class. Barney waved to me, before we both went our separate ways for school.

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**Time skip: **

**After school. 2:30 P.M.**

"Hey, Alls!"

My head snapped up and saw someone running towards me at my locker. I instinctively stepped back, but then they approached me at a slower pace, and I let out a sigh as I saw who it was.

"Hey, Alls," Austin repeated again. "Look, about the thing in lunch today..."

"What do you want?" I asked, nervously checking the time on the clock hanging above the principal's office's door. It was 2:30, right after school. If I didn't start walking and get back to my house at 2:45, I'd be in trouble.

"I just wanted to make it clear that it wasn't on purpose, since that's what you thought," Austin said. I shut my locker after sorting all the books and papers I needed for homework, and started walking away, my face expressionless. He followed me down the hall.

"And I just want to apologize again, because getting spaghetti-ed sucks. Not that I would know. I've never had that happen to me. But I'm guessing it's not that great..."

I whirled around so fast he jumped back in surprise. "Hey," I said, my tone dead-calm and serious. "What's your name?" Even though I already knew.

"Austin," he said quietly.

"Austin what?" I prodded.

"Austin Moon."

"What's your middle name?"

"I prefer not to reveal my middle name to anyone," Austin answered, and his face turned red in embarrassment. "It's... pretty girly and it sucks for me."

"Okay, Austin girly-name Moon," I said, turning back around to walk. Austin started to walk with me again, and I rolled my eyes. "Maybe you don't know how things work here, but you're not supposed to talk to me, unless it's picking on me."

"What? Why?" Austin asked, like he came from a blissfully ignorant world where bullying wasn't a problem or a constant thing. I rolled my eyes again.

"Because even though it's your first day here at Marino, you've clearly woven your way into the popular group. Not quite, but you're on your way there. Even if you weren't popular, you wouldn't be talking to me anyway. Nobody talks to me except that kid you saw in lunch, Barney."

"The Gothic dude with the black hair?"

I rolled my eyes. Man, this kid was making me do that a lot. "Yes, Austin, the Gothic dude. And his name is Barney. He's my only friend, and he's the only person who can talk to me."

"Why are there boundaries on who you can and can't talk to?" Was this kid from Mars or something?

"Because! The way things work around here is you're either a popular, a bully, a geek or a nobody. I'm a nobody. Barney's a nobody. We're just _depressed_ nobodies. And only nobodies can talk to nobodies. Only populars can talk to populars. The only time the categories cross is when we decide to beat each other up, like the bullies with the geeks. Or maybe when the populars tell geeks to do something for them. Whatever it is, we don't just talk because we want to."

"Okay..." Austin trailed off. "I'll become a nobody so I can talk to you. And Barney."

"You don't just _choose_ who you want to be in this school, Austin. It's all on your first impression. And today, you made it obvious you belong in the popular group, not the nobody. You're too cool to be a nobody."

"But I don't want to be in the popular group. They're too snobby and spoiled. It's stupid." He paused. "This whole conversation, this whole 'how the school works' thing, is stupid! Why can't we just... talk to whoever we want?"

"It is how it is, Austin Moon. You can't just change it because you want to," I snapped. I realized I had turned around to face him, holding my chin up for an argument.

"Well, Alls, all I wanted to do was apologize for the lunch-thing," Austin said.

"Don't apologize. I know you meant to do it."

"What? No! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to at all."

"Austin..."

He followed me out of the school and into the courtyard. "Alls, wait! I'm sorry! What does it take to make you believe that I didn't do it on purpose?"

"Please, Austin. You're already hanging out with the populars. Jessica, she's bad enough. How many bad things have they already told you about me today?"

Austin paused, biting his lip. "Well... Jessica calls you Ally Depression, but a lot of them just said _that one depressed__ girl_. They said you hardly ever smile, and that all you do is get banged by that Gothic dude, Barney."

I laughed. "Well, you can tell them I smile. I smile while I imagine them being kicked off a cliff. And that I don't get 'banged' by Barney. We're only friends. He kind of already has a girlfriend, and it's not me." I shouldered my backpack, smirking.

"Well, why are you wearing his sweatshirt?"

_Oh. Right._

"Because Barney was generous enough to loan me his coat since the spaghetti sauce stained through my own sweatshirt and onto my white shirt. It's not a big deal, Austin."

"Are you sure you're not dating?"

"Barney and I are not dating," I said firmly. Then I took a glance at my watch, and almost had a heart attack.

It was _2:45._ I was supposed to be home by now!

"Shit!" I exclaimed. I straightened. "I got to go! Home! I'm late!"

"Wait!" Austin said, grabbing my arm. "I'm sorry about lunch! I _really_ didn't mean to!"

"You did," I said, yanking my arm out of his grip. "And by the way, my name is _Ally,_ not Alls. Now bye!"

I ran, away from him as fast as I could, wondering what my father would say when I got home.

* * *

I slowed my steps as I got to the stone pathway in front of our house. Our house wasn't very big. It was only a one-story house with a basement, the brown paint slowly fading on the outside and the grass needing to be mowed. There was a path that lead to the front door, which was tight and you always had to slam to get it to shut properly.

It was the fourth house my father and I have moved into ever since my mom left. Struggling with rent and losing his jobs a lot, it was hard for my dad to find a home. We've been in this house longer than others, because he finally got a steady job managing a music store in a mall a few minutes away. I wonder if he's ever actually a nice manager, though.

My hands were shaking slightly as I opened the door and stepped in quietly. I prayed that my dad was maybe working late, but then he was in front of me in a flash. I gasped silently.

"Where have you been?" he growled. "It's late! You were supposed to be home by 2:45! Not three!" His voice shook the whole house, booming into every room.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, looking down. "I lost track of time talking with someone." His palm slapped across my face, and I winced. He slapped me again, shaking his head in disgust.

"You need to learn to keep track of time, you little girl! Instead of wasting it, talking to your _friends_," he growled. Then he paused, looking at me, and then my blue stained sweatshirt. His eyes widened in anger, and a fresh zap of lightning-fear breached into my chest.

"What is that?"

"Um... I ran into somebody at lunch, and their food spilled all over me-"

A series of slaps were issued, and I scrambled back, pressing against the door. My dad slapped me hard again, and yelled.

"You clumsy girl! You have no respect, do you? I work long and hard everyday to buy you good clothes just for you to go and ruin it!"

"I can wash it!" I tried. "See? I just need a little detergent and-"

He grabbed my hair and yanked, and I whimpered, clutching my sweatshirt like I remembered doing with this blanket I had when I was little. He held onto my hair and slapped me, punching me in the stomach, hitting me everywhere on my face, stomach, arms, and scalp. Wherever he hit, a pain rocketed through me. And not just from his slaps.

"You foolish girl, wasting money like that! This will teach you to be more careful!"

"It wasn't my fault! You can't beat me up for something that wasn't my fault!" I protested, but I was also thinking about every-time he hit me, not just now.

Worst idea ever. That only got me more hits, and tears started to leak out of my eyes. I remembered how Barney and I agreed that there was no point in trying to protest, but I couldn't help it. I needed to at least say that so my father would get that idea.

My scalp ached, until finally he released me, dropping me on the ground like a rag doll and sauntering into the kitchen. I could hear the refrigerator slam as he grabbed something; most likely a beer. I ran upstairs like a frightened rabbit, my heart racing.

I slammed my door shut and locked it quickly, my back pressing against it as I slowly sank to the ground, gripping my sweatshirt.

I needed to wash it. I promised Barney I'd return his sweatshirt tomorrow, and this was the only one I owned.

As quietly as I could, I reopened my door, holding my sweatshirt in my grasp so tightly my palms felt sweaty. I quietly made my way down the stairs, walking so slow that I felt like I was in a video editing station, where they put it in slow-motion. each time my foot hit the step, it creaked, and every-time it did, I waited like a deer caught in headlights for the car to run over me.

But he was in the living room now. I could hear the TV going. The sound of the beer bottle being set down on the table as he grunted and watched the baseball game. As carefully as I could, I made my way into the laundry room, shutting the door behind me, before relaxing my shoulders.

It's like tip-toeing through a battlefield when my dad is angry.

Since the door was closed from him, I was a lot more relieved. But still, I quietly opened the cabinets about the washing machine and pulled down the detergent and bottle, spraying the heavy stain of my sweatshirt. I tore off my white shirt and slipped on a new one, before putting Barney's sweatshirt back on. I sprayed the shirt too, before putting them in the washing machine and starting it.

I sighed. Now, I needed to get back upstairs. To the bathroom. Hopefully without-

"What are you doing now, miss?"

I almost screamed, whirling around to see my father standing directly behind me. I had no idea he had gotten there. He must've been silent because I hadn't heard a thing! I covered my mouth, before slowly lowering my trembling hands.

"I was just... washing... my clothes..."

"Trying to sneak around, you little brat?" my father spat. "Think you can go behind my back? I'm not stupid, you little bitch! I can hear you loud and clear!"

I didn't say anything, only stared at the tile floor below his feet. He slapped me.

"Look at me you little brat! Look at me!"

I slowly lifted my eyes to him, where he punched me in the gut. I bent over, but managed to keep my eyes with his.

"Look, you little bitch! I own this place, you hear me? And you can't sneak around here! I always know where you are! It's no use trying to be quiet, because I can fucking hear you, you worthless brat!" He struck me again before storming out of the laundry room.

So my plans to be a ninja _didn't_ work that great.

My hands were shaking so hard I could barely control them, but I opened the door again and ran upstairs to my room, not trying to be quiet anymore. Even though it was only in the afternoon, I jumped on my bed, sinking into Barney's sweatshirt, crying. I cried until I fell asleep, my tears wetting my pillow just like they did when I was four.

* * *

**Here's chapter three! I hope you guys liked it! PLEASE review on what you think! :)**

**~Cynthia**

**Oh, and in case any of you are worried, Barney will not be a _'start as friend then as she gets a boyfriend he starts becoming overprotective and when she stands up for herself he will snap at her and their friendship will break and he'll become a huge enemy and Austin will then have to beat him up because they were battling for her love or whatever.' _No, Barney is just a supportive friend that means a lot to Ally. There won't be any trouble involving my OC. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter four of Hold Me Down Before I Fly Away! I love all your support, thank you all! **

**And did any of you know that R5, Ross's band, is having a new album?! Holy shiz! It's out September 30th, and I honestly cannot wait! I had heard their songs on the EP, and they're FABULOUS. Check it out if you haven't already!**

**I don't own anything.**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up to silence. After I got dressed and walked downstairs, I saw there was a note folded on the main counter in the kitchen. I opened it and read it, seeing my dad's messy handwriting.

_I went to work early and will be back later than usual tonight. Make yourself dinner._

_P.S.: Don't try anything stupid._

With that sentimental warning, I made myself a wonderful meal of toast, an apple, and some water. I poured some leftover soup I had made for dinner last night into a thermos for school, and made an extra sandwich for Barney. After I finished packing my school supplies, I went upstairs to brush my teeth.

I winced as I saw my own reflection in the mirror. There were visible red marks on my face still, and on my arms. I let out a broken sigh, hearing my own voice crack, but quickly swallowed my tears. I reached underneath the sink into the cabinet, pulling out a plastic bag with cosmetics in it.

I hardly ever wore make-up. I just never liked the idea of showering myself in artificial materials to make myself look pretty. Plus, I heard it was bad for your skin, anyway. But I was _not_ going to walk around showing my bruises. I put on some make-up, but it didn't make much of a difference. I tucked some wipes in my backpack in case I needed to wipe it off at school, before walking back downstairs.

I grabbed my sweatshirt out of the laundry room and put it on, holding Barney's sweatshirt in my arms. Then, I opened the front door, locking it behind me with my copy of the house key, and started walking to school.

Walking to school takes me fifteen minutes, and it kind of sucks in the bad weather. My feet sometimes ache by the time I get home or to class, but I suppose it's good exercise. I just walk down the sidewalk in the same direction for several, several blocks until I cross the street once to the courtyard. There's a park directly in the middle of my house and the school, and after school I might stop by there on the way if I know my dad is working late. I enjoy reading, and I like to read there on a wooden bench underneath a large oak tree.

I walked back the park. Today I had put on my black Converse high-tops, to go with my dark blue skinny jeans. They were stained, with dirt and grass, but I didn't mind. As I crossed the street into the school courtyard, Barney walked up to me from the side and slowed his steps with mine.

"Hey, Barney," I greeted, and looked at him. Immediately he stopped walking, staring at me, and wincing.

"Aye, sweetheart. What the hell happened to you?" He reached up and touched his fingers to my cheek. I winced, and he quickly pulled back.

"I'm wearing make-up," I murmured. Barney snorted.

"You are? Well, hate to break it to you, but... you might as well take it off. It's doing you no good." He shook his head in disappointment. I sighed, reaching into my bag for the wipes and ripping one out. I wiped the make-up I had off, and Barney just shook his head, staring at me tenderly.

"Sweetheart, I am so very tempted to walk right over to where Lester works and kick his ass," he said, and he wrapped an arm around my shoulder. I laughed, and he gave my shoulders a comforting squeeze.

"Oh, by the way, here's your sweatshirt." I handed him his neatly folded up sweatshirt, and he tugged it back over his head. I was a few minutes late, and it was 7:50, ten minutes until class began. Usually Barney and I spent twenty minutes together in the beginning of school. Oh well.

"Thanks, Ally," he said. "Anyway, how's the home? What happened? Why did you get hit this time?"

"Yesterday... Remember the new kid?"

"Austin Moon? Yeah, he's in my math class."

"Well, he kept trying to apologize." I laughed softly. "He doesn't understand that... you know, how this school works. The populars, the nobodies..."

"I pinned him as a popular kid."

"Yeah." I nodded. A student passed by, and she stared at my face with wide eyes. I smiled and waved. Barney chuckled next to me.

"Anyway," I continued. "He kept apologizing, like he actually didn't mean to. Plus, he said he wanted to become a nobody like us so he could be friends with you and I. He doesn't get that you just can't... _decide_ what group to be in." Barney nodded, snorting.

"Well, let it go. As long as he just stays on his own side and doesn't disturb us, whatever." We walked inside the school building, and stopped at his locker. I gave him the sandwich, just like I expected him to ask for, and he fished into his pocket for his music player.

Barney has a music player, but it's not an iPod or a phone or anything. The only thing he can do on his device is listen to music he has to download on there, look at photos, and listen to the radio. No Internet. No texting. It's pretty solitary, but he lets me use it with him. It's a very standard electronic, but he has endless tracks of sweet music, and he rarely has to charge it.

He handed me the headphones, which I untangled as he turned on the music player. We both sat on the floor against the metal lockers, and we each put a headphone in one ear.

"Have you listened to Space Bound like I suggested?" he asked me softly. I shook my head, and he smiled.

"That's okay. I'll play it." He hit play, and the sound of guitar, white noise, and piano filled my mind. I closed my eyes and leaned against him, listening to the rapper's words. Surprisingly, I understood what he meant in his lyrics, and I drifted away, indulging in every word like a candy.

_Nobody knows me, I'm cold. _

_Walk down this road all alone._

_It's no one's fault but my own,  
_

_it's the path I've chosen to go._

_Frozen as snow._

_I show no emotion whatsoever so..._

* * *

**Time skip:**

**Lunch, 11:50**

At lunch, it was sunnier than yesterday, so Barney and I took our lunches outside. We were heading to our regular picnic bench when Barney stopped walking. I paused, looking back at him.

"What?"

"Look." He nodded his head, and I turned. Someone was already sitting at our picnic bench, all alone and quiet. Writing something in a notebook. They had light blonde hair and was wearing a red short-sleeved plaid shirt, with jeans.

Austin.

"Great," I murmured. "Well... should we sit somewhere else? Inside, maybe?"

Barney shrugged, before tilting his head at me, his black hair falling in front of his eyes. "How about we sit with him? I mean, he may be a popular, but it is our table. Plus, he's the new kid. He might be lonely." That was the thing about Barney. He was always a lot nicer than I was.

I sighed, before we continued walking to the picnic bench. Austin looked up as Barney plunked his food on the table across from him, and I slid into the seat next to him. He smiled at me, before his eyes widened.

"Ally... What happened to you? You look horrible."

"Gee, thanks, Austin." I rolled my eyes, and Barney elbowed me, silently chiding me. I bit my lip, looking at him. Barney gave me a pointed look.

"Sorry," Austin apologized quickly. "It's just... what happened?"

"Nothing," I lied. "Just... really clumsy." Barney let out a real laugh next to me, and I gave him a glare. He smirked at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"Well... That looks pretty harsh." He shook his head. "What did you do? Fall into a trash compactor?"

"Shut up," I said, laughing slightly. I dipped my spoon into my thermos, lifting a warm serving in my mouth.

"Hey, I'm still sorry about yesterday," Austin threw out. "Seriously. I did not mean to spill my lunch over you, Ally."

I sighed. "Austin, you can stop trying to apologize."

"I'm serious!"

"Austin," I warned.

Austin looked at me straight in the eye with his dark, chocolate ones. They almost shocked me, like a flash of lightning going through me. "Ally, I won't stop saying 'sorry' until you believe me."

I gave him a look back. "Then be prepared to say that more often, Austin."

Barney raised an eyebrow at me, before looking back at his food.

The rest of the lunch hour, we sat in silence. It was awkward. It was weird. Austin continued writing in his notebook, but I couldn't bring myself to read what he was jotting down. After a few minutes, Barney left us because Skylar had waved him over to sit with him inside. I guess it was something important, because after a moment of hesitation, he did choose her.

Not that I can blame him. It was as boring as hell at our table with Austin there.

After lunch, it was the start of Doomsday. As soon as I stood up, Austin threw out, "I'm sorry." And as I walked back inside, he trailed behind me, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." There was the childish tone in his voice too, but I just kept walking.

And he continued like that for the rest of the day. Whenever he saw me between classes, he would apologize. We also have music at the very end of the day together, and he was constantly throwing notes at me, _I'm sorry _written down on all of them. I wasn't used to that kind of attention.

And it annoyed me.

After school, I met up with Barney at his locker. He had been talking to Skylar constantly ever since lunch, and I had never gotten the chance to see him. I tend to avoid him when he's talking with her, but I did get to talk to him a few times before we were interrupted by her. But I wanted to vent to him now.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said to me as we stood next to his locker, the other students passing us like fish in a river stream, and we were smooth rocks sitting at the bottom side. "What's up?"

"What's up with you?" I teased. "Finally done with Skylar?"

"Nah, we fixed it."

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously. You can do so much better, Barney. Skylar isn't worth the trouble."

"Sweetheart, stop with the bitching on Skylar," Barney sighed. "I think Skylar's worth it."

"Don't you see how shallow she is?" I persisted. "Barney, you're stooping so low and-"

Suddenly Barney slammed his locker shut, making me and the surrounding students jump slightly. The other people around us resumed their pace, but I stared at Barney in surprise.

"What was that for?" I asked in surprise.

"Will you stop saying how much Skylar and I don't work?" Barney demanded. "Did you ever consider maybe I'm happy with her?"

"The worst things in life are free," I argued back. "It may taste good, but it's really bad for you."

"I like Skylar."

"And I don't. You can do so much better, and you're just wasting your time on her. You're acting like an idiot."

Barney stared at me for a long, solid moment, and for a second, I understood why so many other people steered clear of him. He always had a serious look on his face, but it never occurred to me how frightening it appeared to be. He never directed his glare to me in any way.

Neither of us said anything for a moment, but I could feel the anger bubbling between us. I stepped back once, and Barney continued to glare at me with his blue, blue eyes.

Finally, he said, "I didn't ask for you to like Skylar or not, Ally."

Ally, not like the regular _sweetheart_ he always called me.

"Now leave me alone," he muttered, and he turned away. He started walking towards the exit, and I jogged after him.

"Wait, Barney! Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean... I mean, I guess I'm having a bad day or something. You see, Austin keeps bugging me, with his stupid apologies and he won't stop. Just..."

"Ally!" Barney whirled around to face me again. "Maybe he means it, you know. The way the school works _is_ stupid, and Austin wants to break that. Maybe you should admire him for that. Or at least believe him when he apologizes. But _let it go_ already. That's the only damn thing you've talked to me about, and how much you just hate Skylar."

I stopped. "That's not all I've talked about with you, Barney."

He scoffed in disbelief, before shaking his head.

"See you tomorrow, Ally." His voice was emotionless and hard. And dead-cold.

"Barney..."

But then he was gone, the door swinging behind him.

* * *

I felt pretty miserable after that. I stopped at the park, since my dad had said he was working late. I opened a book, although I wasn't sure what the title was, and tried reading. But my concentration was in other places. I couldn't believe Barney and I had actually gotten in a fight.

Did it make me feel shitty?

Yeah, you could say that.

Ahead of me, there was a kiddie playground. There was a middle-aged man swinging a little girl on the swings, both of them laughing and smiling. I could tell they were related because they both had the same smile and same nose shape. I watched as the little girl jumped, and when she landed on the wood-chip ground in front of her, the father laughed and helped her up.

How much in the world does it take for something like that?

I stared at the father and daughter for a few minutes, before realizing what I was doing. It must've looked creepy, holding a book but actually looking intently at other people in the park. I tucked my book back into my backpack and walked home, my Converse stepping in some puddles from yesterday's rain. I got to my front steps, before pausing.

My father's car.

_Oh no._

I thought he was working late! How long had he been home without me?

Panicked, I ran through the door inside. I froze as I saw my father's figure in the doorway of the kitchen, facing me, like he was waiting for me. My heart pounded as he stepped towards me. He grabbed my arm and my hair, yanking my into the kitchen.

i bit my lip from crying out. He thrust my face to the microwave.

"Look," he told me grimly, "at the time."

_3:45._ Had I really spent that much time in the park?

"I'm sorry," I stammered. I heard Barney's voice in my head, warning me not to say anything that could make it worse. I bit the inside of my cheek as my father slapped me across the face.

"What is wrong with you?" he demanded. "Where have you been, Allyson?"

"I was at the park..." I managed. "I just lost track of time again."

My father hit my again, shaking his head. I closed my eyes as I heard him muttering, disappointed in me. "What is with you lately? You've been irresponsible twice. This will teach you not to be lazy." He slapped me again, and continued to relish over my laziness.

"You've been so lazy lately, Allyson!" my father exclaimed. "You're being too spoiled! You're just like your mother, having everything you need but wanting more! You get spoiled so you get stupid! From now on, you will be more alert! From now on, you will no longer... talk to your friends! No meeting with them after school!"

"What?" I couldn't help but protest. "You can't do that! Me being late as an honest to God mistake, Dad! You cannot restrict me from seeing my friends like that-"

He cut my off with a blow in the stomach. I lurched forward, and he grabbed my hair, and I felt like some of it ripped out. He scratched my face, hitting me in every possible way, and I started to cry.

I never cried when my father hit me. No matter how hard he would slap me, I never cried. Not ever since I was little. Around when I was twelve did I realize that tears wouldn't do any good, and managed to hold them in.

"You will not talk back to me like that, ever again, you bitch!" my father barked. "You _will_ be back everyday after school at 2:45! You will _not _meet any of your friends after school! You will learn to respect what you have!"

Something inside me snapped. "What I have?" I pulled away, yanking my hair out of his grip and almost hitting him myself. "I have _nothing_. We live a shitty one-story house with barely any food! You're an abusive father that needs to get your shit together! In my room, the paint is peeling and the bed is too small! What do we have? We have _nothing!_ I see _exactly_ why Mom walked out on us!"

"Don't you ever bring your mother up like that!" her father roared, and lunged at me, but I quickly scrambled out of the way, ungracefully crashing into the counter, the edge jabbing into my lower back. I winced, but then caught his fist before he could punch me.

"_Stop hitting me!"_ I shrieked. "God, I hope someday you get taken away for this!"

I ran out of his grip, my heart pounding, and made my way for the front door like a frightened rabbit runs for its hole. My father roared after me, "Where do you think you're going, you little bitch!"

"Out!" I screamed behind me as I flew out the door. I prayed to God that he wouldn't follow as I stumbled down the cobblestone path, tears falling down my face like a waterfall from each eye. I gasped, taking deep, quick gulps of fresh air. My body was shaking, and my skin stung in the crisp air, but I started running.

It wasn't until later that I realized, as I was standing at the corner of a street I didn't particularly know, that I had actually ran away from my father for this time.

My heart was pounding so hard that I could feel it, just standing there alone. What was I doing? I'd have to go back eventually. I didn't even have anything with me. My leftover lunch remains were in my backpack, which I had dropped at my front door. I only had the clothes on my skin and my wits. But I didn't want to go back. Now that I was out, I seriously didn't want to go back at all-

"Ally? Is that you? Are those... scratches on your face?"

I froze for a moment at the sound of my name, before whirling around, my hands automatically raised. Instead, I was greeted with the sound of yapping, and a small dog tried jumping at me, held back by a purple leash. I blinked, my arms lowering, and then saw who was holding the leash.

The new kid. Austin Moon.

"What...?" I couldn't finish, I was too shocked.

Austin seemed to know what I was asking. "I saw you run out of your house, Ally. You have scratches and bruises and they're even worse than the ones from this morning... I followed you because you were crying. Was that your father you were yelling at?"

I couldn't speak. My jaw felt numb. His puppy jumped up and placed its front paws on my stomach, but Austin tugged him back down.

Austin looked at me carefully, before stepping a small bit closer. His voice was soft and gentle, laced with concern. "Ally, do you want to come over to my house? Spend the night, take a break from your father?"

Maybe it was from all the blows, maybe the fact that I had actually run out on my father was still sinking in my head, but before I could think otherwise, I nodded tensely,

"That'd be great. Let's go."

* * *

**I apologize so, so much! I've just been super lazy recently, and I hate myself for it! Thanks to all of those who like this story, though! I really appreciate all your reviews! And I know I promised someone I'd get this uploaded, but clearly, I'm like a day late. xD. Anyway, I'M SO SORRY. I knew what I wanted to write about, like in this chapter I was aiming for Ally to meet Austin after she escapes her father, but I couldn't quite literally but that into a story format.**

**And just a few heads-ups. **

**I know I said Barney won't be any trouble, but clearly I take that back. He'll have some struggles, but they won't be anger troubles. They'll be things like communication between him and Ally, with frustration that comes with the misunderstandings. When I said he won't be any trouble, I meant that he won't be any threat to Ally _and Austin._**

**And Ally did not 'run away.' Yes, she ran out of the door when her father tried hitting her this time, but she's not going to be like, on the run or homeless anymore. Spoiler alert: She will go back to her own home.**

**Review on what you think. Criticism is appreciated, but no terrible flames. Thanks for reading!**

**~Cynthia**


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's chapter five, excuse the errors you might spot. I don't own anything.**

* * *

"There..." Austin's voice was gentle and smooth as he handed me a damp washcloth, warm from the water. I looked in the rectangular mirror in the Moons' bathroom, before slowly cleaning away the blood that poured from a scratch on my cheek.

"Is that better?" he asked me softly. He handed me another washcloth, and I quickly ran it under some water before cleaning the fresh blood away again. I knew I should be pressing the cloth against the cut, to put pressure on it and stop the bleeding, but every-time I did, it stung and I had to pull it away.

I sniffed, the sound filling up the entire bathroom. In the one we were in, it was kind of cramped, with a toilet, a counter with a sink installed to it, and a cabinet. Austin kept giving me washcloths, although I felt kind of bad because they were all white and my cuts were staining them with dark, deep garnet red. But I kept wiping the blood away, only to try again.

My head was ringing, and I felt like I wasn't exactly in the bathroom. Like I was dreaming, and I was waiting for the moment to wake up and find out it was morning. But the stinging, the warm water, and the sound of Austin's voice was too real. I stared at my groggy reflection, and my face was horrendous.

"Need anything else?" Austin asked me gently. He was careful to keep his distance and respect my space, especially in the small bathroom like this. We had shut the door for privacy, but I could hear quiet commotion outside beyond it.

I sniffed again, before mumbling, "A tissue?"

In a swift second he grabbed the blue tissue box resting on top of the toilet, holding it out for me. I plucked one out before blowing it into harshly, then crumpling it up in a ball and throwing it into the plastic waste-bin by the counter. Austin placed the tissue box back, before looking at me.

After we had run into each other on the street, Austin had quickly guided me to his house. It wasn't too far from mine, only a few blocks east, and it was a lot better than the one my father and I lived in. The Moon family was clearly rich, or at least had a healthy saving of money. Mrs. Moon was nice to me, and she looked a lot like Austin, but I could see the falter in her eyes as soon as she saw me with my messed up face and raggedy clothes.

"Oh! Austin you brought a... friend," Mrs. Moon had said.

Austin told her, "Yeah. This is Ally. She might be staying for a days." Then, before Mrs. Moon could say anymore, he placed a hand on my shoulder and led me into a bathroom to get my injuries cleaned up.

My chest ached, and my scalp itched. I could see some scars in my hair, from where my dad had pulled. Oh my god. I sniffed again, feeling more tears come on, but my eyes were already dry and worn out. I couldn't muster up anymore sadness. Instead, I just felt like nothing. Like a vacant shell of me was still working, doing things, moving around, but the real me was rocking back and forth inside in aftershock.

I looked at my reflection again, leaning against the counter. I was disgusted at what I looked like. I reached up, tucking some of my brown hair behind my ear, and my bracelets jangled. Today I had put on a lot of thick, rubber bands that Barney had given me, and some beaded bracelets too. They hid my cuts.

_Barney._ At remembering his name, my heart made what felt like a pang. Guilt overcame me, and I stared even harder at myself. My brown eyes. My weird lips, were my bottom lip was more fuller than my top.

"Are you okay?" Austin asked me, breaking the silence surrounding us and stopping the inaudible clashing sound of war in my mind.

"I just got beaten, ran out of the house, and I'm in a stranger's bathroom with cuts and bruises. I'm just _peachy_," I snapped. Austin looked a little hurt, and I felt a little bad, but he shrugged it off after a moment.

"Sorry. Seems mandatory I ask that, even if it's a stupid question," he said. Then he paused, looking at me. He grabbed another washcloth and wiped some blood off my face, but it was lighter than the others, which was good. It was starting to stop gushing blood out. Maybe go into a light trickle.

"I'm okay," I amended. "I mean, besides from the obvious, I'm okay."

"That's good," Austin said. "Who was...?" Then he stopped, and we both realized how that might not be so sensitive a question. He paused, and I waved my hand in the air like it was no big deal.

"My father always hits me. This week it's been worse than usual, but I'm sure he'll get over it," I said, grimacing slightly. It was true. Something about my father was even more off-putting this week.

"Wait." Austin's voice made me look at him. "You're seriously going to go back to that douche?" he asked me.

"Where else can I go?" I said quietly.

"You're spending at least tonight here, Ally," he protested.

"Yeah, but after that," I told him. "Where else? I can't live with you from now on or something, Austin. I'm going to have to go back to my father, and just try not to do anything that could make him mad again."

"But... can't you like, spend the night at your friend's place? Barney?" Austin asked. "I mean, surely he knows about this too."

I nodded, but another pang hit my heart. "Barney knows," I said quietly. "We just... had an argument over communication problems." _Who speaks like that?_

"About what?" Austin asked, and the conversation suddenly was too focused on me. I gave Austin a pointed look.

"What about you? Are your parents going to even let me stay tonight?" I asked. "A lonely girl you picked up off the streets, and you barely know her?"

"I know you well enough," Austin defended. "Plus, my parents will most likely let you stay tonight, and probably more. I mean, they're nice people. Both my mom and dad are too soft to say 'no' about throwing an abused girl out into the cold."

I sighed. Austin seemed intent on keeping me here as his prisoner for at least tonight. I rubbed my temples, trying not to pass out and stop the immense ringing in my head. Was this all really happening?

"How about we go talk to them now?" Austin suggested lightly, placing a big hand on my shoulder. His touch was warm and careful, like I was a rose or something. Something that could be cracked easily with a snap of a hand.

I didn't say anything, but let Austin lead me with his hand on my shoulder down the hall. I smelled something in the air, something tasty and yummy. Like a bakery. He guided me into the kitchen, which was even bigger than my own room back home.

The counters had granite tops, with polished surfaces and the stove-top was especially clean. A microwave whirred, a mug heating up inside of it, the clock ticking absently with the seconds next to it. The lights glowed a homely yellow, and standing at the island was Mrs. Moon, spreading frosting on a cake.

My mouth opened. The cake looked absolutely delicious. The filling was chocolate, and Mrs. Moon spread vanilla-white frosting across the top with a blue rubber spatula. It looked like a treasure, something you could find in like a hidden cove along with jewels and coins. She slathered so much frosting on it, I wondered if one forkful would just give you a good helping of icing.

I'll admit, I was pretty shocked. I never had delicacies like that. We never had enough money. Only on special holidays, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, would we have desserts, and it was usually cheap, tiny cakes or hard cookies. I'd probably die and go to heaven, if Mrs. Moon's dessert tasted as good as it looked.

"Hello, Allyson!" Mrs. Moon called to me, and she smiled warmly, like I was her daughter or something. I appreciated how she just looked over my cuts and bruises and raggedy clothes. Most people can't do that, even adults.

"Please, just call me Ally." My mom was the only person in the world who called me by my full first name. Mrs. Moon reminded me of my mom, in a way, with her warm smile. And her cooking. If she had the chance, Mom always would cook.

"Alright, hon," Mrs. Moon said. "But please, call me Mimi. It's nice to meet you. My son is always just so sweet and helping poor girls."

"Yes. He's very nice," I said quietly. Austin's face turned a light pink in embarrassment, but I smiled slightly.

"Hey, uh, Mom?" Austin spoke up. "Ally kind of has trouble with her family, and I was wondering if I could... maybe offer her to stay here. Tonight, at least. If that's okay. Because I kind of saw her family and it's... it's not..." Austin fumbled, trying to find the right words to describe my father.

"It'd be good if she got a break," he finally decided on. "If she can just sleep over for tonight."

Mimi looked at me with so much concern that I almost felt like I was maybe her real daughter. "Oh, dear." She opened her mouth, and she looked like she wanted to maybe ask about my family, but quickly stopped herself. She changed the topic.

"Of course you can stay, Ally. You can stay as long as you want. There's a guest room down the hall, across from Austin's room, and you're free to stay as long as I want." Austin flashed me an _I told you so_ grin. I only smiled at Mimi.

"Thank you so much, Mimi. That's really generous of you."

"Oh, of course! When I'm done icing this cake I'll go out and get you some things like a toothbrush and maybe some clothes for your stay! We want to make you as comfortable as possible." She smiled back at me, and went back to her cooking. "Austin, show Ally the guest room, and help her get settled!"

"Alright, Mom," Austin said, and he turned back down the hall we came. I followed, my Converse dry against the glossy hardwood floor. As we walked down the hall, Austin led me up a staircase. Two sets of stairs curved up along opposite walls, framed by a white wooden pole banister. The staircases met at the second floor, where part hung over the living room like a balcony, the barriers connecting together. Downstairs, in the living room, the same pup that Austin was walking earlier greeted us, barking excitedly and jumped.

Austin snapped his fingers and pointed at the ground, and the dog sat obediently. Austin chuckled. "This is Charlie. He's a Cocker Spaniel. He's pretty well-behaved, he just gets excited with new people."

I couldn't help but let out an a happy sigh as the dog jumped up again, and I scratched behind its ears. Then we walked upstairs, Charlie following us happily. Austin led me down the hall, and between three doors, he opened the one on the left wall and I followed him in.

The guest room was quiet and dull. White painted walls. Freshly made bed. A dresser. There was a wooden chest shoved against the front of the bed, but I had a feeling it was something personal and it wouldn't be appreciated if I explored through it. But I liked it, despite the dull colors, Austin saw my expression, and he smirked.

"Pretty standard, like a hotel room," he admitted. "Come see my room."

His room was fairly decent for a boy's. The carpet was littered with a little laundry, and some random junk like a football and shoes. His bed was unmade and his closet was open, but other than it, it was in good shape. It was big too. Enough to make me feel spacious. There was a keyboard and a guitar standing in one corner, waiting to be played, although I don't know how to play music whatsoever. But I stared at it, remembering the old days...

"Pretty sweet, huh?" Austin asked, noticing I was looking at the instruments. "You know how to play?"

"No," I said. "Although I'd like to learn."

"Why don't you take lessons?" Austin asked me.

"Not enough money," I said. "I need to get my own job somewhere if I want to earn money for something like lessons."

"Or..." Austin paused, looking at me carefully. "I could teach you..."

I blinked, straightening. "Why would you do that?"

His shoulders went up and down loosely. "I don't know. For some people, music is their thing. It's that key that unlocks them into a whole new world and can make everything better for them. It could change their life. It'd be cool to find out if music was your thing. It'd be cool if I was the one who showed you."

I paused, before shaking my head quickly. "No. You have better things to do than teach me. I'm not... I'm not allowed to see anyone after school. No activities. I'm grounded."

Austin sighed. "I really think you should stand up for yourself."

"Oh, it's no big deal," I said.

"Yes, Ally, it is. You're getting abused. Does he do anything else besides slap you? Rape?"

"What? No!" I exclaimed. "My father would never do that to me."

"Why are you sticking up for him?" Austin asked me. "He's a jerk."

"You don't know him," I said, but part of me agreed with Austin and wondered the same thing. Why was I defending my father? He deserved nothing of kindness whatsoever. But it was just the fact that he was my parent, who had my own blood, who gave me my life, and I felt like I needed to pay that off. Like I was in debt to that, and I couldn't cross him.

I sighed. "Just drop it, Austin."

"Ally..."

"I said drop it!" I exclaimed, and Austin made a show of closing his jaw. I turned away, but I didn't want to stomp out. Austin was my only buoy right now, and I didn't want to make him angry too much. Who else would I have to run to if I broke it with Austin, as little of a friendship we had?

"Sorry," Austin mumbled. He turned and walked to his instruments, going for the guitar. He sat on his bed, resting it on his thigh, playing aimlessly. It had no real pattern or affirmative beat, jut dwindling music, but it set me at ease. It was serene and serious, carrying tastes of sound from another world. The music flowed from the guitar like a waterfall, and for a moment, I was stunned. I guessed Austin was good at playing those instruments, considering he had his own in his room, but I never heard anything like it.

Plus, there was something about the music. I recognized it, from long ago. Somewhere, a distant memory. I tried thinking, going deep into the back of my mind, going through all the sounds I hear.

Then Austin was walking around the room, holding the guitar carefully against his body so he pace, still playing. His hand flew across the neck of the guitar, his fingers strumming adequately at the strings. There was a misty look in his eyes, and I wondered if maybe I had that too.

Suddenly, it hit me. I remembered that melody. I knew where it came from. I lurched back, away from Austin, and that ruined the mood. The feeling of calmness ripped away from me as I shuffled backwards, trying to regain my balance.

Then, he stopped, letting the last note hang in the air. He looked at me, closely and carefully, and said, "Wanna try?"

I realized I had my hand outstretched, like I was going to touch the fine wood and the glossy layer of the guitar, but quickly pulled my hand back like a turtle recoiling back into its shell. I didn't need someone else to tell me that's what I looked like. I knew I did. Austin frowned.

"Come on, Ally. It won't hurt. Like I said, music can be that one thing"-

"I know that's what you said," I told him, interrupting him rudely. "But I absolutely refuse to touch music."

"Come on, Ally," Austin repeated. "It doesn't have to be guitar. I can teach you piano."

"No!" I exclaimed. "I refuse to do anything with music! I hate music!" Even though Austin's idea of unlocking music to someone an having it become their 'thing' seemed like a cool thought, I didn't want to learn anything. I preferred to listen to music, not create it.

"What? Why? Ally, be rational."

"No, Austin. Leave me alone." I stepped back, in the direction of the door. I felt like the walls were closing in on me, suffocating me, like I was breathing through thick paint. Austin stepped forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. I felt like tears were starting to build in my eyes, and Austin noticed.

"Why?" he demanded. "Ally, I want to teach you how to play music. That seems like a fairly good idea, right? Give me a reason why I can't teach you music."

"Because my mom and dad played guitar and piano and would play for me!" The words exploded out of my mouth before I could stop them. "My mom played that song on the piano and my dad would join in with the guitar and would play the exact same song you were just..." I couldn't finish.

Then, before I could end up saying anymore embarrassing things, I turned and ran out of Austin's room, slamming into my own guest room and collapsing on the bed. I felt more tears swell and escape from my eyes, and I leaned back and lay frozen on my back, staring up at the ceiling, the notes of Canon in D echoing in my head.

* * *

Later, Mimi knocked on my door. She had dinner, and I guess Austin had told her I was not in the mood of coming out, because she had it on a tray for me to eat inside the guest room. When I got up and opened the door, I found she also had a few plastic bags with her, and they had things like clothes and other necessities. I accepted the items with what I hoped was a polite smile and closed the door quietly.

Mimi had prepared a soup for me, except it wasn't like the typical kind you heat up over a stove from cans. It was natural broth, with cooked noodles and cut carrot bits and chunks of chicken. There was also a buttered, warm roll, some strawberries, and a tall glass of water. Best of all, a small slice of cake Mimi was icing earlier. I ate slowly, savoring the taste of the soup and sucking the flavor of the cake. It was nothing like I've ever tasted before. Mimi could be a professional cook.

Inside the bags, were various clothes. Mimi had really gone out to make sure I was comfortable. I had my own toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, make-up wipes, washcloths, towels, soap, shampoo, pads, shirts, shorts, easy canvas slip-ons, socks, underwear, sweats, a sweatshirt, some hair ties, a brush, magazines, bubblegum, and a little bracelet made of colored string, artistically braided together tightly. It was too much. Too much for me to accept. Mimi was so nice...

I walked into the bathroom later and took a shower, using the washcloths, the soap, and the shampoo Mimi gave me. Then, I dried using a towel and changed into the sweats and a shirt. Then I scurried back into my room, but through the walls, I could hear Austin at his piano, playing Canon in D. He knew that made me uncomfortable, yet he stilled played it. I guess it was his choice, since he owned it, but I thought he had better common sense and respect.

Hearing the soft, sweet piano notes made me want to almost throw up. I was stuck in my room, pacing. Mimi had recently come up to take my tray, but that was the most activity. I had no entertainment. The magazines Mimi had bought me held my attention for two minutes at the most, and the bubblegum I was chewing on was stale. There was no computer, or TV, or any books of sort in the room. I didn't have any books of my own or anything, and I didn't have the stomach to open the door and maybe walk downstairs or approach Austin. I felt like I was caged, and by nine at night later, from what the clock said, I was staring up at the ceiling on my bed and making shapes out of the texture of the surface.

I thought I was insane. I really did. When I look up at flat surfaces, like ceilings or walls, I see pictures moving on them, like movies or imaginary plays unfolding right before my eyes. It's not real, of course, only a trick of the mind, but I see it so vividly, creating a story. I could also hear voices in the hall, but when I look outside, nobody is standing there.

Significant signs of craziness.

The more I lied there, the more restless I felt. Agitated. Caged. Like I would blow a gasket the more I stayed pressed and confined in here. I stood up and paced the room again, the fabric of my sweats swishing against my leg. My body felt warm. I moved my leg nervously, jumping it up and down slightly in nervousness.

Suddenly, the music on Canon in D stopped. A long pause. There was the sound of a door opening, and then footsteps. Something was dropped on the other side of the door, and they knocked, like a mailman dropping off a box.

I waited until Austin's footsteps faded away, and slowly creaked the door open. There, on the floor, was a little notebook. It was a composition book, and it was an ugly brown color mixed with olive green in an attempt to be earthy and innocent. There was a mechanical pencil laying across the cover, and a pink vibrant Post-it.

_If you're bored, you can draw or write in this. Whatever you do._

And just in case I didn't know who the sloppy handwriting belonged to, he signed his first name in the corner. I hesitantly picked it up, looking around the hall. I could hear a TV going a while downstairs, and Mimi humming, probably making more delicacies in the kitchen, but in the hall, there was nobody. I felt the pencil, turning it between my fingers, before going back into my bedroom and closing the door. i sat on the bed, opened it, and started to write.

* * *

**PLEASE READ:**

**I forgot to mention this in the last chapter. I'm considering making a new girlfriend for Barney. He isn't mentioned must in this chapter, but the topic of him and Skylar will come up later. If you guys want to send in an OC with a name, personality traits, and looks, I can decide which one I like best and your OC can be featured in the story! I'll give you credit for it!  
**

**Anyway, there's that chapter. Please review on what you think!**

**Sorry for short updates. I've been working on other things. I'm also considering making a Frozen fanfiction story, with Elsa and Jack Frost ('cause I shop them, so adorable) but not sure because I got this, Divergent story, and the one-shots and ET. Anywho, just a heads-up on what I'm doing.**

**~Cynthia**


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